Two cups of coffee and a shower later—she’d cleaned and disinfected one of the two baths in the house before going to bed last night—she was on her way to Ferndale. At least in the bigger town and stores, she wouldn’t stand out so much. The pink hair and tattoos didn’t seem to be well received in Antelope Rock, but the people there would just have to get used to it.
Spotting the Walmart sign first, Willow pulled into the parking lot, grabbed a cart, and followed a few shoppers into the store. She hadn’t fully decided if she was keeping the ranch or fixing it up and selling it. Based on the property value Howard had showed her, if she did some improvements to the house and land, she’d clear a very nice profit in the sale after the last of the mortgage was paid off. She’d have enough to live comfortably just about anywhere she wanted. She’d even be able to travel for a bit, if she had the mind to, without worrying about a job. It wouldn’t last forever, but taking a few years off did sound appealing. With images of white-sand beaches and blue waves dancing in her mind, she tossed beach-themed bathroom accessories into her cart, along with blue and white towels.
She continued with the color scheme in the bedroom department, selecting a light-blue and grey comforter and matching sheets with a higher thread count than she’d ever purchased before. A painting caught her eye. It was a picture of the ocean at night, a full moon shining down on the rolling waves, stars sparkling and reflecting off the water. The dark water seemed to hide untold secrets. There were footprints along the sand, right above the water line, left behind by a woman in the distance. Long dark hair touched the small of her back, just above a sarong tied around her hips. She was as mysterious as the ocean itself. The painting was a mass-produced print, no doubt millions of them were in existence, but it spoke to Willow. She saw herself in that lonely woman. Without a second thought, the painting went into her cart to replace the creepy portrait she’d taken down in the living room.
Two overflowing cartfuls later, she checked out, trying not to cringe at the total before she remembered she could afford it. Her trip to the furniture store was, surprisingly, just as quick, easy, and relatively painless. She splurged on the new bed a little, but the living room set she picked out was simple, functional, and on clearance. She wasn’t convinced she’d be staying at Skyview Ranch forever and wanted to get things she could leave behind if necessary. Of course, she hadn’t applied that logic to her bed, but by the way her back felt this morning, she figured the expensive queen-size mattress would be worth its weight in gold. In the appliance store next door, there’d been a black refrigerator and matching range on sale, so she’d picked those, not really caring what they looked like beyond function. She also added a stacked washer and dryer set, to replace the ancient ones in the laundry room. The salesman had been nearly giddy as she’d placed her large order. It was probably the biggest sale he would have all week and possibly all month.
After arranging to have the furniture and appliances delivered and installed as soon as possible, she made the long drive back to the ranch. She switched radio stations often, searching for something that wasn’t new-age country music and didn’t have much luck. She only liked old-school country singers like Cash, Haggard, and Hank Williams Jr. Finally giving up, she connected her music app to the radio via Bluetooth and set the vehicle’s cruise control. Rolling down the windows, she sang along with her favorite mix playlist, not caring at all that it switched from Etta James to Eminem to Frank Sinatra and onto DMX.
Forty minutes later, she turned down the dirt lane to the property she now owned, passing under the ranch sign and continuing to the house. There was a red pickup parked in front next to her Chevy, and she slowed, approaching cautiously.
“What the hell?” she muttered since she wasn’t expecting anyone. Her confusion eased when she noted the lettering on the strange vehicle’s tailgate that read “JP Ranch.” It must belong to Jeremiah Urban, her new neighbor.
Willow parked, turned off the truck, and climbed out, deciding to leave her bags for now. She glanced around but didn’t see anyone. “Hello!” she called out walking around to the back of the house. “Can I help you?”
A figure emerged from around the side of the larger of the two barns. All she could make out from the distance between them was that he was average in height and sported a tan cowboy hat and dark jeans. He waved and hurried over to her. If he was taken aback by her pink hair and tattoos, he didn’t show it.
As he drew closer, she noted he was about forty years old, and as he took off his hat, she was able to see that he had dark red hair and sharp features. A thick reddish-brown scruff covered his jaw. While he had white streaks near his temples and a little in his beard, it only made him more attractive. He was lean but roped with muscle, and she doubted there was an ounce of fat on him.
“Howdy, ma’am. I’m Jeremiah Urban. I talked to Howard, and he told me you’d like to sell your father’s cattle and horses to me. I just wanted to introduce myself and take a gander around here. Jason wasn’t too keen on visitors. I can see why you’d want to sell, if that’s what you’re planning on doing. This place needs too much work right now to be suitable for any animals.”
He’d stuck one hand out and taken off his hat with the other, all while keeping up a running dialogue. He was friendly enough, but she got the impression he was of the type to talk your ear off if he got the chance.
She shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you––I’m Willow Crawford. Considering I don’t know the first thing about taking care of cattle or horses, I’d be selling to you even if this place was in perfect shape. I haven’t decided what I want to do with it yet, but for now, I just want to focus on bringing it into the twenty-first century. Then I’ll go from there.”
The man grinned. “Fair enough. Howard said you agreed with the price I quoted, so I’ll have a check for you by the end of the week, if that suits you. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime? Being out here in a new place all alone must be a shock for ya. We were all surprised to find out you existed. No one at the Rock had any clue the old bastard had any kin.” He slapped his hat against his thigh and settled it back onto his head, talking non-stop all the while. “Pardon my French, ma’am, I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but your father was a mean cuss when he had a mind to be, which was often.”
“I never knew him, so I’ll take your word for it.” She shrugged and quickly changed the subject before he could start up again. “I was wondering, do you happen to know a few men who wouldn’t mind making some extra cash? I need to clear out a lot of junk and old furniture from inside the house. I’ll be renting a roll-away dumpster and could use a hand. I also need someone who could tell me about the equipment in the two barns. I don’t know what’s useable or what’s just scrap.”
“Oh, sure thing! I got myself a couple ranch hands who would be glad to help out, you just let me know when. Most folks around here are willing to help out for free. Neighbors gotta take care of each other, ya know? But if you’re willing to pay cash, you’ll have a crew here in no time. Especially for easy work like hauling broken couches, or what not.”
Hauling furniture was easy work? Though she supposed compared to ranch work, it must seem that way. “Great. I’ll be in touch soon. I’m going to call and make the arrangements for the dumpster today. I have new furniture and appliances being delivered in three days, so I’d need the help pretty soon, if that works.”
“Did Howard give you my number?”
“Yes, he did. Yours is at the top of a very long list.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure. Howard takes good care of his clients. Well, you just call me anytime, as soon as you have a day and time. I can get five or six guys here and have this place cleaned out in an afternoon, after they’re done working at the ranch. While they haul the junk out, you and I can take a look at the barns, and I’ll help you decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Does that work for you?”
His offer to help took a load off her mind. The smaller of the two barns on the property was full of equipment she didn’t know the names of or what they were used for and one of the things she hadn’t been looking forward to confronting on her own. “Yes, thank you so much.” He looked as if he was about to open his mouth and continue the conversation, but she was anxious to get her bags inside and set up the house more. “I’ll be in touch later today. I have a whole list of calls I need to make and a lot more cleaning to tackle.” She hoped her dismissal was polite enough because he was a nice man, and if they were going to be neighbors for however long she would be there, she didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with him.
Jeremiah smiled and tipped his cowboy hat to her. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll talk soon.”
Chapter Four
June 1
Dear Any Soldier,
Hi, my name is Willow, and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your service. It’s very much appreciated. It must be hard on you being away from your family and friends for long periods of time, and I hope this letter brightens your day.
I’m probably not supposed to ask where you’re stationed or deployed, so I won’t. I’ll just assume you’re somewhere on the other side of the world and pray you’re safe.
I guess I should tell you a little about myself. I’m thirty-three years old and originally from Philadelphia, where I’d lived my entire life until three weeks ago. That’s when I found out I’d inherited a ranch in Wyoming, of all places. Talk about a culture shock. This little podunk town has a population of just under 1000 people, and everyone seems to know everyone else. I probably had that many people living within a two-block radius of me back in Philly, and no one knew who any of their neighbors were beyond nodding hello as they passed each other on the street.
I’ve spent the last few weeks doing an overhaul of the house here—it really needed it. I’d been hoping all it would need was a fresh coat of paint, but that turned out to be the least of my worries. The front porch needed major work—all new steps and most of the boards needed to be replaced. Thankfully, the supports were in good shape, so the whole thing didn’t need to be torn down. I even managed to save the old porch swing, sanding and refinishing it. I think I’ll rehang on the side porch though—it faces west—and get another one for the back porch. The painters come in a few days to re-paint the outside of the house. I picked a light green color—I think it’ll look nice against the blue sky.
I also tackled the kitchen and two bathrooms and had a plumber and an electrician come in and update what needed to be. While there is still a lot to do in the three rooms, at least I can now say every surface has been bleached and disinfected, the water is clean, and the plugs are updated for the new appliances I ordered. Now I’m moving onto the rest of the house. Every room needs, at the very least, to be painted and new furniture and rugs.